Baling apparatus.



W. B. M. BROOKS.

BALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION mum 11:13.11, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3,1911.

' A rromvsy WZ5.I.-'.[I:1R B. M. BROOKS, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAM BALINGAPPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3. 1911.

Application filed February 11, 1911. Serial No. 608,052.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I,\\"ai:renl. \l. lhiooks, a citizen of the UnitedStates. and a resident of the city and county of ltlontgomery, State ofAlabama, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in BalingApparatus", of which this is a specification, reference being had to thedrawing forming part hereof.

The invention relates to apparatus for forming bales of hay, alfalfa,and the like, and is applicable to a number of like uses. Its objectsare to provide simple, novel and eflicient modifications and imirovements in the baling press, and to provide a positively acting,novel and inexpensive automatic bale the fastener and cutter by means ofwhich the automatic baling of material such as specified can be carriedon with economy and speed.-

In the drawing only so much of a-baling press is shown as is necessaryto fully illustrate the invention.

In Figure 1 I show a baling piess, lacking the forward parts, includingthe reciprocating pusher usualin this type of apparatus. The viewinclucles the apparatus of my invention, hoifvever, (with exceptions tobe noted) and represents a press equipped with it less only the partsnot needed for full understanding. In Fig. 2 I show the details' of thetwister and cutter mechanism, and

in Figs. 3, and 4 and 5, respectively, two

. types of the twisting and cutting elements.

In this invention I ordinarily provide two members or arms arranged toenter :thepress from opposite sides, meeting ap-- proxnnatcly at thecenter.

These members bring together the baling wires. One of these memberscarries the twisting and cutting clementsand the other, although notnecessarily so, carries the means for actuating the saidelements. Intheoperating of the inventionthe two arms referred to come together,bringing the baling wires; the twister-s engage the members of resp'cctive pairs of wires, twist thein sufficiently, and then the cuttingdevice cuts the joined wires in. such manner as to leave them joinedupon the bale and joined for the receptionof anew bale--the systembeing,

easily; understood when it is explained that Y thejtwisted wires are cutapproximatelyintermediatefof" the twist (or, actually, be

In the drawing 1 is the case or body of the press, 2 is its floor, shownpartly broken away in front.

3 is the nearer end of a bale, as of hay.

4, 4, 4, et are the baling wires, their nearer ends shown broken away.(It will be understood that these baling wires may lead from the reelsusual in such machines and generally located somewhat forward of theelements of the press here indicated.)

5, 5 are the two reciprocating members re ferred to as capable ofenterin the press. They are guided in some suita le manner, not a partof the invention, as for example, see the slot 8 in the right handmember!) engaging the )late 0r guide member 9 below the press. bimilarguiding means are provided for the left hand member -13 (not shown, asno points of novelty are involved) and the, two members 5, are mutuallygeared together so that when one is moved in or out the other movessimilarly. This I accomplish by forming racks (the one shown in fulllines at 10, and the other indicated by a dotted line at 13) on thereciprocating members (or attached thereto) which en 'a e anintermediate "car wheel 11. The

O b b arrangement shown has the gear wheel working on a horizontal axisand occupies too much room although more easily illustrated than thepreferred ar 'angemcnt, that with a vertical axis, but the details ofthe intergearing of the reciprocating members are not essentials. Themember 5 to the left is provided with wire-engaging jaws at (5, (i, andeach of the members is provided with looped wire guides as at 7, 7, 7, 7,-a guide being provided for each wire employed. As will be seen fromthe drawin the right hand member 5 is also provided with wire receivingnotches just behind each strand of wire.

To operate the reciprocating members I vwith the left hand block ormember 5. A.

roller, 16, at the junction of the togglemenibcrs 15, 15, runs on ahorizontal port-ion of the extension 'ust referred to and thuspreventsthe toggleanembers' from acting otherwise'than as would a rigidor one part link, AsI require, however, thatthere shall be furthermOVQiIlfiRViQf-tli lever 14, Ba-meet 1n the after the two members,.5,"-"

ivoted on an arm or ting.

press, I provide an inclined fall, 17, on the extension from the base ofthe press, the function. of which will be obvious. Moving lever 14causes the member 5 (to the left) to enter the press, the extension 12,of that member through rack 13, actuating gear 11 and rack 10 anddrawing in member 5 to the right also. Up to that stage of the movementof the lever-1 f where the toggle-joint roller 16 leaves the horizontalpart of the extension the blocks or reciprocating memhers-steadily moveinward. As soon, however, as the togglejoint roller reaches the fall,17, the inward movement ceases, or decreases in speed, dependententirely upon the inclination of the fall 17. As will be seen I providefor a decrease and a stoppage of movement both. In the figure therelative positions of the wire carrying guides 7, 7, 7, 7 are somewhatmisleading. They need not be sufficiently forward of the advancing faceof the arms or members 5, 5, to meet when those members meet, but maybea little back, as their function is merely to retain the baling wires.

From the'description so far it will be seen that when a bale iscompleted, except for the bringing together of the baling Wires, theinward movement of lever 14 will bring these wires together in the mid-vdle of the press, ready for twisting and cut- (Fig. 1 illustrates theparts just at the stage referred to). It will be seen that in the lefthand member 5 is a guide way, not numbered, in which I provide tworacks, 18, and 19, working side by side. Of these the rack 18 ispivotally connected or linked to the lever 14:, see the slot and-pinconnection at 18. An extension or shoulder 20,is formed on the nearerrack, 19, and a spring, 21, is held between this shoulder and a similarone, 22, secured to or formed on rack;l8. Rack 19 is arranged to slideon rack 18 by suitable guides, or as here shown. The object of thespring engagement between the two -racks is to permit rack 19 to stop ashort time before rack 18 comes to restthis being permitted by thespring 21, which is sufiiciently stiff, however, to ordinarily cause thetwo racks to move together. The parts are so co-ordinatcd that whenlever l lis moved in the members 5, .5, nearly meet before the racksbegin to move relatively to the member within which they slide. Theracks then. emerge from the member and move forward at about the samespeed at which the member was moving before, but the members 5, 5, nowmove slowly, owing to the slipping of the toggle roller down the fall17. The members 5, 5, then meet in the center of the press and stop,

' but the racks continue to move up to their full limit, rack 19,however, being stopped first by engagement of its cxtensi on or shoulder20 with the rear of the member withinwhich it slides. Bearing thesemovements of the parts in mind the operation of the twister and cutterwill-be easily followed.

In Fig. 2 I show a part of member '5 (to the right) with its inclosingface nearer the observer partly removed. At each of the its teeth, see25, 25, 25, Fig. 2, and 25 Fig. 3.

These radial slots are not only between the teeth of the gear but extenda distance into the axial extension (see Fig. As shown in Fig. 3 the twotwister and cutter elements are positioned with their gears adjacent,the teeth being in register, and are j ournaled by their axialextensions in suitable hearings in the frame of member 5. See the sideelevation and section, to right and left respectively, in Fig. 3, andthe sectional journals, 26, 26. Through an axial hole a rivet or bolt 33joins the members, but this is not absolutely essential. The slots 25,between the teeth of the twister gears are deep enough to allow entranceof twobale wires at least, although ordinarily I operate the apparatuswith only one wire in a slot.

\Ve may now consider the means for actuating the twister and cuttergears. Adapted to be engaged by racks 18, and 19, are two small gearsplaced side by side, as 29, 30, (one behind the other in the figure andthe forward one partly broken away), car ricd upon respective hollowshafts, 31', 32. Upon each of these shafts is a similar gear of largediameter, one behind the other, see the partly broken gears 27, 28.These larger gears engage the two twister and cutter gears. It will beseen, therefore, that the racks 18, 1.), by cngagingthe two small gears29, 30, rotate the large gears 27, 28, and therebythe two elements, 23and 23 of the twister and cutter. i

From the foregoing the operation of the apparatus will be nowunderstood. At the stage when the li locks or members 5, 5, decrease inspeed and the racks emerge the bale wires to the righthave beenengagedin slots of the twister and cutter wheelsthe wires to the leftnot yet being brought: near enough. At this stage the racks first engagethe small gears 29, 30, and cause a Containing the wires "om the righthand side of the press. Then, as the members. 5, 5, meet and stopfurther advance, the for wiai d movement of the racks causes severalrevolutions of the twister and cutter wheels,

producing a twist in the bale wires 'both be'' fore and behind theseelements. Finally, 5 as the stop or shoulder on rack 19 comes toengagement with the member in whioh it is guided that rack, and itsrelated gears, stop, but the other rack 18 still goes forward for aoszx'ort space, the spring, 21, allowil lg the m,.vement to take place.Thus, while one of the two twister and cutter elements remains lockedthe other still moves and the twisted wires are cut or sheared by thegear teeth, the cut takin lace between the two twisted portions.lthdrawal of the lever ll brings the members 5, 5, back to theiroriginal positions, but the bale wires leading through the guides 7, 7,etc., remain tied together in pairs, ready for formation of a new bale.

- I prefer, ordinarily, not to form the twister and cutter elements asshown in Fig. 3, with solid axial extensions, or shafts, .but to havethese shafts hollow. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 4. Here theview is an end elvation on one side and a sectional view of the hollowshaft or axial extension only on the other. It will be'seen that theonly difference in structure is the hollowing of the shaft and theabsence of'the connecting rivet of the other figure.

WVhile, ordinarily, I prefer to employ intermediate gearing between theracks and the twister and cutter gears, principally to obviate too greattravel of the racks, yet I may, obviously, dispense with such gearingand actuate the cutter gear directly from the racks-in'this case,however, I -will ob-' viously have to employ a pair of racks for eachpair of twister and cutter elements. I may, also employ the twister andcutter elements in the same member or arm in which the racks are guided,as it is by no-meansessential that the racks be carried by one memberand the twister and cutter elements by another. The same means hereinshown forgiving the differential shearing. movements to the twistergears can be employed in such a case as even as here shown it is clearthat the rackscould just as well actuate the gears if they were carriedby the left hand reciprocating member only. And, since the rotation ofthetwistors could coinmenee before the right hand wire was reached sothat it would enter radial slots not occupied by the left hand wire thewires will be engaged and operated upon precisely as if the right handwire was first ongaged, as is the case in the apparatus as shown inFig. 1. Obviously, also, while the arrangement of two racks, one ofwhich can I slide relatively to the other, is a very ellieient andsimple means for giving the joint and differential action to the twisterand I It IS- Having described my invention, what I- claim is 1. Inapparatus of the classi described. the twister and cutter element 0lggldsed of a gear wheel rovided with i'vely deep radial slots .l etweenits teel li 'find with a hollow axial extension havinglradial open-z vings corresponding in angular position to such slots.

2. In apparatus of the class dcscribed, a

combined twister and. cutter comprising two gear wheels provided withhollow axial sleeves, radial slots extended through said sleeves, andmeans for rotating said gears together and relatively, substantially asset forth.

- 3. In apparatusof the class described, a]

press, members arranged to enter the press from opposite sides thereof,a combined twister and cutter com rising two gear wheels provided withho low axial sleeves, radial slots extending through said sleeves to theinterior thereof and registering with the interval between teeth of thegear, and means related to said entering members for rotating said gearstogether and relatively, substantially as set forth.

' 4. In apparatus of the class described, a press, arms arranged toenter the press, a combined twister and cutter carried by one of saidarms and comprising two gear wheels having deep spaces between teeth andhollow axial extensions slotted axially in register with the spacesbetween the gear teeth, and'means carried by one of said arms forrotating said gears together and relatively.

5. The combined wire twister and cutter set forth, consisting of twodeeply cut gear wheels having a common axis of rotation. and closelyapproximated, said gear wheels] having hollow axial extensions providedwith axial slots in register with the spaces between gearteeth,-bearings forsaid axial extensions, and means for givmg'said gearwheels a common and a differential rotary movement.

Witness my hand this 8thday of Febru- WALTER B. M. BROOKS. 5

Witnesses v THOMAS J. Sco'i r 'laor HAILS.

